Vintage ATC

Oops, if you subscribe to my blog in google reader (and therefore aren't getting this edit probably), you will see that I forgot to finish this blog entry. Darn blog prescheduling got ahead of me! So I'll tell you now, if I start a blog entry, then go out and get eaten by an alligator on my bike, you will see future blog entries with (inc) at the end, meaning incomplete. Sorry! But, rest assured, I am not dead today... yet.

You may recognize the layout for this ATC. I saw similar Simply Adorned charm inserts as one of the make & takes at Leadership. I expanded the dimensions a little bit to fit an ATC size (2-1/2 x 3-1/2"). Black, vanilla, and crushed red velvet - YUM!

You see you can use the glimmer paper on projects other than Valentine's projects. And isn't the raspberry image from Clearly For You awesome? Most of the effort in this ATC is cutting, cutting, cutting (paper piecing).

Stamps: Timeless Treasures, Clearly For You, Artistic Etchings; Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand, Basic Black, First Edition DSP; Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede, Black Stazon; Accessories: Sponge, Eyelet, Black taffeta ribbon, Chantilly lace, Heart-to-Heart punch, Red glimmer paper.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stampin' Addicts Birthday Blog Hop

Hi Everyone, Stampin' Addicts is have a Birthday Blog Hop, a technique hop. I didn't get a chance to participate, but I want to invite you to hop along with me!

Here is the complete list:

1) Yapha -- Shaving Cream
2) Holly P (HollyLogic) -- punch art
3) Cindy (CindyE) -- watercolor
4) Carmen -- inlaid embossing
5) Krystal (skdeleeuw) -- spotlighting
6) Sara (lilyinkpad) -- chalkboard
7) Betty (kittystamp) -- watercolor crayons
8) Kim (s1itcher46) -- Faux flocking
9) Sarah (willsygirl) -- Paper Piecing
10) Twila (tjdstamps) -- Collage stamping
11) Debra (WebDeb) -- Polished Stone
12) Jennifer (jentimko) -- Clear Block Stamping
13) Rhonda (rhondag) -- Baby Wipe Ink Pad
14) Tanya (tanya27) -- Reverse Faux Letterpress
15) Mary (MaryR) -- Shimmer Paint
16) Ellen (Chipper) -- brayered sky
17) Adriana (escape2stamp) -- faux leather
18) Kandi (kandicejo) -- ribbon techniques
19) Cheryl (lovetostampandscrap) -- Dazzling Diamond Dust
20) Holly K (catrules) -- smooch spritz

Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

Big Shot Club: Scallop Envelope Die

We recently had the first session of the Big Shot club, where we focused on the types of dies, sandwich combinations, and created projects with dies included in the Big Shot Starter Kit**. **It's not to late to join the Big Shot club! Click here for all the details!

These are a couple projects created with the Scallop Envelope die. The first uses the Scallop Envelope on a card. This is a fun card, because the sentiment is hidden inside the envelope.

I created a little ribbon pull tab on the sentiment card.

The card follows the layout by 'Karenstamps' on SCS.

Stamps: Sincere Salutations; Paper: Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava, Soft Sky, Very Vanilla, Afternoon Tea DSP; Ink: Chocolate Chip; Accessories: Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, Felt Fusion II flowers, Flower brad, Brads, Finial Press embossing folder, Scallop Envelope die, Big Shot.

And for 3-D Thursday, this fun backpack is created easily with the help of the Big Shot, using both the Scallop Envelope die and the Top Note die.

I followed the tutorial by Keri Metzger.

Stamps: Tart & Tangy; Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Summer Picnic DSP; Ink: Real Red, Chocolate Chip marker, Old Olive marker; Accessories: Star brad, Eyelets, Real Red grosgrain ribbon, 1-1/4" Circle punch, 1-3/8" Circle punch, 1-3/4" Scallop Circle punch, Scallop Envelope die, Top Note die, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Sticky Strip.

Thanks for stopping by!

SUOC13 Let's Sale-a-Brate!

It's time to Sale-a-brate! Today's challenge over at SU-Only Challenges is to create a project using a set from the Sale-a-bration brochure, including any from the main catalog listed on the inside back cover. Remember you can choose any set in the SAB brochure for FREE with a $50 purchase, no limit!

I decided to go with Tart & Tangy from the main catalog. It's been a while since this set has seen ink. And since Tart & Tangy is such a colorful set, it is easy to pair it up with the Ice Cream Parlor DSP, ribbon, and buttons from the SAB brochure. The layout was inspired by Mojo Monday sketch #175. Perhaps this card could remind me to eat more fruit and less chocolate?

I rock & rolled the orange image, and I created my own bowl by sketching on scrap, cutting out, and sponging.

Stamps: Tart & Tangy, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Ice Cream Parlor DSP; Ink: Peach Parfait, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive marker, Real Red marker, Chocolate Chip marker; Accessories: Sponge, Ice Cream Parlor ribbon & button pack, Linen thread, Circle Scissors Plus, Perfect Details texturz plate, Petal Cone die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Crazy for the Cupcake Punch

We played with some Occasions mini and Sale-a-bration products at stamp club. One project we made was a CASE of a swap card I received from Michelle Fischer (SDiegoGal), using both the Build a Cupcake punch and Sale-a-bration paper, ribbon, and buttons.

I changed up the DSP so we could incorporate the "self-adhesive die cuts" and Ice Cream Parlor ribbon into the card.

The cupcake base is created using the Build a Cupcake punch and crimper. The confetti paper is perfect for the frosting. And the cherry looks extra vibrant with colored with Stampin' Write markers and finished off with Crystal Effects. Super quick, colorful, and fun!

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper: Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Ice Cream Parlor DSP; Ink: Pacific Point, Real Red marker, Chocolate Chip marker; Accessories: Ice Cream Parlor ribbon & button pack, Linen thread, Build a Cupcake punch, Crimper, Coluzzle, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

More Downtime...

So, since I'm not crafting, what's going on in Florida?

Some dino digging with Aunt Connie

And Princessing (with Woolly Mammoth)

Sand angels

And swimming

Drums with Brother at Animal Kingdom

And there was a gator in the trail when I was mountain biking. So glad he moved for me!

No one around to take a pic of me, but here's my trusty bike...

Hope you're have a great day, and New York, that snow better be gone by the time I get home! :)

3-D Thursday: Start Thinking Easter

Oh, wouldn't Spring be nice right about now? The 3-D project for stamp club this month was a cute Easter project using the new Petal Cone die in the Occasions mini. This is such a fun die, with lots of opportunity to make both party and elegant treat pouches. For this project, I CASED the amazing Hollidini, aka Holly P., who created some amazing projects with this die for Stampin' Addicts Occasions mini blog hop.

I drew in some lines with a Stampin' Write marker and distressed the edges with Whisper White craft ink.

The leaves were created with the Scallop Circle punch.

Stamps: All Holidays; Paper: Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz, Very Vanilla; Ink: Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White Craft, Pumpkin Pie marker; Accessories: Sponge, Circle Scallop punch, Brads, Petal Cone die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tropical Paradise... Wish I Was There

Aloha! Don't you wish you had a Hawaiian vacation in your near future with this weather and cold? Me too. Well, how about another fun interactive card, a tropical tilt card?

I needed a third card for my Cards that Move class, and I've always wanted to make a tilt card with the retired hula lady from Do the Hula. Compare the pictures to check out the tilt action.

So with the tropical awning and the coconut drink, I imagine sitting in a grass hut on the beach, being entertained. Does it make you feel warm? *sigh*

Stamps: Do the Hula, Tropical Party; Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Island Oasis DSP; Ink; Soft Suede, Old Olive, Black Stazon, various markers; Accessories: Brads, Corner Ticket punch, Scallop Edge punch, Penny, Head of a thumb tack, Dimensionals.

Mahalo for stopping by!

Flippy Floppy Vintage Card

Another fun interactive card from the Cards that Move class, a flip-flop card. I wasn't sure which direction I was going to go with this card, but now with the finished product, I am in love!

After stitching the edges of the Newsprint DSP and distressing with Basic Black ink, I attached it to Basic Black cardstock prior to scoring and cutting the base.

I did a lot of stamping, cutting out, popping up, and adding fun vintage accessories. Fun card, and the colors totally speak to me! :)

Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Very Vintage wheel; Paper: Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Newsprint DSP; Ink: Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler; Accessories: Sponge, Chantilly lace, Pearl jewels, Vintage trinkets, Vintage brad, Sewing machine, Thread, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Valentine's!

My daughter was very upset when she found out we would be out of town during her Valentine's Day party at school. We did send in her Valentine's early, and the ones from her friends will be waiting for her when she returns. In the meantime, she hatched a plan to have a Valentine's Day party down the FL, with die cut hearts, heart-shaped cookies, and all the decorations we have made for our house. So that's what's up today... (We actually started this on Friday.)

Edit to add: Making Valentine's cookies with Brother.

Here is the Valentine's Day project we made at Stamp Club, using Valentine Defined from the Occasions mini. This stamp set has some really cool images... heart tree... bleeding hearts... heart grass (weeds?)... some of these images I haven't even played with yet. But here's the deal... I knew I wanted to use my favorite image, the lovey flamingos, but I felt like what I have seen so far wasn't living up to the set's potential. And I've already sat down and stared at the set for hours when I created swap cards back in December. So... I scoured the internet high and low, grabbed an element here, and idea there, and ended up with...

Ladybug Stamper Jen was genius to create her own newsprint-like DSP with the definition stamp. So I grabbed up that idea. And the demo mag Stampin' Success had a cool way of using the hearts-on-a-line to look like a clothesline. Slap one of my split Top Note layouts together, and off we go. And of course I stuck in a Red Glimmer paper heart (love!!!). With the glimmer paper, a little goes a long way! Don't know yet if the flamingos and I have given it our best try yet... we'll see.

Stamps: Valentine Defined; Paper: Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Love Impressions DSP; Ink: Regal Rose, Basic Gray, Versamark; Accessories: White embossing powder, Red Glimmer paper, Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon, 1-3/4" Circle punch, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch, Heart-to-Heart punch, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Top Note die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm a Winner!

I got an excellent email today! I was chosen as one of the winners in Shelli's monthly creative challenge on her blog, SoShelli.com. Wow, that so fun!!

The entry that won was my remake of Stampin' Up's color renovation color confections for the Stampin' Addicts Sale-a-bration blog hop.

If you'd like more information on these projects, check blog posts here and here. It's gonna be a good day! :)

Getting Desperate... A Limited Supply Challenge

So we are vacation in Florida, and I've come down here with nearly no crafting supplies. I am in serious crafting withdrawl, especially with a rainy day today. The February issue of Paper Crafters Sampler came out yesterday, and I had to recreate one of the adorable wagons!

I improvised with Whisper White cardstock and lots of Rich Razzleberry sponging. I used what circle punches I had on hand.

And we had to go outside to find a stick for the handle, and the wagon is filled with strips of newspaper. My daughter was in charge of decorating; she recycled saved princess images from Christmas tags. On the back she used a flamingo medallion she made during stamp club with Grandma. You can see she has been practicing paper piercing. I think it looks like the back of a "Just Married" car. I'm not sure what the extra pink tab on the bumper is for.

A bit later we will be making some Valentine's cookies and decorating for our Valentine's party, so a pink and purple wagon was a great way to start! She's been playing with it, pretending it's a hay wagon. Guess it's a nice improvised toy.

Stamps: Valentine Defined; Paper: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink DSP; Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip marker; Circle punches, Scallop Circle punch, Oval punch, Sponge, Brads, Stick.

Thanks for stopping by!

3-D Thursday: Easter Basket

Last week I shared a sneak peek of my project for February's Paper Crafters Sampler, Easter Wishes. I've been playing around with the project to come up with another design, a mini version of the project in this month's sampler. This is a fun and different way to decorate and display Easter eggs.

Stamps: Eastern Blooms; Paper: Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Good Morning Sunshine DSP; Ink: Pacific Point, Soft Suede, Marina Mist; Accessories: Sponge, Crimper, Tissue paper, Chipboard, Crop-o-dile, Jumbo eyelets, Linen thread, Pacific Point ribbon, Egg, 5-Petal punch, 1/2" Circle punch, Stylus, Petal Cone die, Big Shot, Two-way glue pen.

Complete project instructions available in February's issue of Paper Crafters Sampler (code PCSHB).

Thanks for stopping by!

Fun Buzzy Waterfall

I recently taught a Cards that Move class. One of the cards we made was a waterfall card. Waterfall cards require a stamp set with several images that would flow sequentially.

For this card, I combined both images and pieces of the sentiment for the waterfall action.

I'm pretty happy with how this one came out.

Stamps: Just Buzzin' By; Paper: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, So Saffron, Whisper White, Delicate Dots SAB DSP; Ink: Early Espresso, So Saffron, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, So Saffron marker, Basic Black marker, Close to Cocoa marker; Accessories: Sponges, Two-way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds, Eyelets, Scallop edge punch, Black gingham ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by!

SUOC12 Stampin' Around!

Good Morning, Everyone!

Today's challenge on SU-Only Challenges is to use any Stampin' Around wheel on a project. I love these challenges, since they are so non-restrictive. You can go in so many directions.

I started with Music Notes wheel, pairing it with the bird image from Nature Walk. I created a bird house by altering an existing template. The sentiment is from Cheep Talk... a special note of thanks... get it? LOL!

There is a lot of sponging to dress up this birdhouse. The roof was created by sponging a Scallop Trim punch-out, the edges of the house are distressed, and the bird was colored by sponging as well. There was so much vintage-y brown going on, I dressed up the sides with leaf branches and flower punch-outs. The pearl jewels dress up the flowers sooooo much!

Edit to add steps to create:
1. Create birdhouse with Crumb Cake cardstock using this template. I altered it to have straight side walls.
2. Stamp bottom of birdhouse with Music Notes wheel in Soft Suede ink. Punch 1-1/4" circle in birdhouse front wall. Punch a small hole in front wall for placement of wooden skewer bird post.
3. Assemble birdhouse and sponge edges with Soft Suede ink.
4. Create the roof from 3-1/4 x 6" Soft Suede cardstock, punch edges with Scallop Edge punch, and use a Scallop Edge template to sponge scallops on roof in Soft Suede ink.
5. Punch two holes in center of roof with Crop-o-dile to run ribbon through before attaching roof to birdhouse.
6. Stamp bird from Nature Walk, sponge with Soft Suede, Marina Mist, and Peach Parfait, cut out and attach. Color a wooden skewer by rolling in Soft Suede ink, cut to size, and insert into birdhouse. Use a little bit of Tombo multipurpose glue to keep in place.
7. Decorate with Old Olive Little Leaves die-cuts and Marina Mist Itty Bitty flower punches, curling up edges of flowers and attaching Pearl Jewels.
8. Stamp sentiment on Very Vanilla cardstock and cut out by hand. Attach Very Vanilla piece to Marina Mist cardstock and cut out by hand. Attach to birdhouse, along with a Marina Mist flower and Pearl Jewel.

Stamps: Nature Walk, Cheep Talk, Music Notes wheel; Paper: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Old Olive, Marina Mist, Very Vanilla; Ink: Soft Suede, Marina Mist, Peach Parfait, Soft Suede marker; Accessories: 1-1/4" Circle punch, Scallop Border punch, Itty Bitty punch pack, Sponges, Pearl Jewels, Old Olive satin ribbon, White gel pen, Wooden skewer, Little Leaves die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Rolling Hills Are Alive...

I used a sample from the demonstrator magazine Stampin' Success as a starting point for this card. I love grassy hill and tree scenes; you may have seen it from me before. This is a good example of using a Valentine stamp set, Valentine Defined here, for other occasions.

Not so accessory heavy here, but still lots of layers and texture. This is a shoebox swap card, so it needs to be a 10-15 minute card. I thought the Marina Mist background would give the resemblence of the sky, without actually bothering to color the sky. Did it work?

Stamps: Valentine Defined, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper: Crumb Cake, Blushing Bride, Marina Mist, Very Vanilla, Old Olive DSP, Pear Pizzazz DSP, Soft Suede DSP; Ink: Old Olive, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede marker; Accessories: Sponges, Red Glimmer paper, Heart to Heart punch, Coluzzle, Scallop Trim punch, Framed Tulips embossing folder, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Scrapbook Friday: Canada

After I posted my MDS scrapbook page a couple weeks ago, I read about Project 52 on the My Digital Studio website. The challenge is to create one page a week through 2011. This sounds like a great goal, and I have managed to post scrapbook pages over the past few Fridays. I'll give it a shot, although it won't be all MDS for me.

Here is a 6x6" scrapbook page I created for a recent swap. Starting with a picture of my daughter, I picked features and colors out of the photo: pink, green, and weathered wood. I went with the yummy color combo of Pink Pirouette, Always Artichoke, and Sahara Sand. The layout was based on a previous sketch challenge from the Friday Mashup!.

The use of the Woodgrain BG stamp is obvious, and I added a s'more, rather than an embellishment, since that's what we were cooking and eating on the beach.

Stamps: Under the Stars, Woodgrain BG; Paper: Pink Pirouette, Sahara Sand, Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla; Ink: Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip marker, Close to Cocoa marker; Accessories: Scallop Edge punch, Circle Scissors Plus.

Thanks for stopping by!

3-D Thursday: Tick Tock Clock Box

I'm kinda a nut about clocks, so when several demos were recreating the clock box on the cover of the catalog, I thought I'd give it a try too. I picked up a cardboard gift box at my local dollar store, and a clock kit at the local craft (crap) store.

This box is a great way to highlight and save a piece of your favorite Designer Series Paper. I love the vintage look, so I stayed in that realm. This thing came together much faster than I expected, since most of it is DSP.

I was even able to throw in some Fall- and Halloween-themed sides. Very fun to add all the little accessories!

Stamps: Sense of Time, Artistic Etchings, Dark & Dreary, Greeting Card Kids, Nature Walk, French Foliage; Paper: Marina Mist, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Greenhouse Gala DSP, Newsprint DSP, Love Letter DSP, Nite Owl DSP; Ink: Early Espresso, River Rock, Soft Suede, Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist, Pear Pizzazz, More Mustard, So Saffron, Blush Blossom, Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Black Stazon, Basic Black marker; Accessories: Build-a-brad, Antique brad, Old Olive button, Real Red big button, Linen thread, White cord, Basic Black 1-1/4" striped grosgrain, Victoria lace, Trinket key, Aquapainter, Craft knife, 1/2" Circle punch, 1" Circle punch, Boho Blossom punch, Full Heart punch, Sponges, Color Spritzer, Log Cabin smooch spritz, Little Leaves die, Buttons #5 die, Scallop Heart of Hearts embosslit, Scallop Circle #2 die, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Clock kit.

Thanks for stopping by!